Food Column: Having your smoothie and a brownie, too

After a lifetime of digestive problems and medical testing, Caroline Shannon-Karasik was relieved when she finally received a celiac diagnosis in 2010.

So relieved, in fact, that within three months she was blogging all about her new discoveries, including, but not limited to, cooking and eating gluten-free. She also shares fitness, beauty and general lifestyle tips at sincerelycaroline.com.

And this month, the Irwin native brought out her first print book, "The Gluten-Free Revolution," in which she shares much the same type of information. The book contains recipes for gluten-free smoothies, desserts, main dishes, salads (see Rainbow Quinoa Salad recipe) and more, plus information on yoga, pilates, dance, meditation, workouts and beauty products.

Beauty products?

Yes, they fit the bill, too: Some lipsticks and toothpastes, believe it or not, contain gluten (the protein contained in many grains), meaning celiac sufferers need to find alternatives.

The book is a fusion of Ms. Shannon-Karasik's health journey and her professional abilities. She received a journalism degree from Point Park University in 2005, spending one of her college summers interning for the Post-Gazette. She went on to work for Redbook, Penguin Books, and other publications and publishing companies before going solo as a freelance writer.

She and husband, Daniel Karasik, who teaches dance at Point Park, now live in Edgewood, where they're living this gluten-free adventure together.

Although many celiac sufferers pine for the foods they once enjoyed, Ms. Shannon-Karasik says she has "never looked back." That's partly because she suffered bad symptoms for so long that she's never felt tempted to cheat on her gluten-free diet. Within two weeks of her celiac diagnosis, she had already felt dramatic improvements in digestion and energy level, although it took longer for complete healing to occur.

But part of her enthusiasm for going gluten-free comes also from the fact that she has a partner in the endeavor. She and her husband both enjoy cooking, so they try new recipes together.

A self-described "heavy baker" even before going gluten-free, she knew she needed to tackle the problem of learning to work with gluten-free flours, a tricky task for even the best of bakers.

"I made a lot of bricks and hockey pucks" in the beginning, she confessed, but she eventually modified many of her prior favorites to make them gluten-free. The book contains recipes for such doughy favorites as Raspberry Lemonade Doughnuts and Honey Dijon Chickpea & Olive Pizza with Feta Cheese and Grapes.

She'll introduce the book at several events in the Pittsburgh area, including:

• 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24 at South Hills Power Yoga in Dormont: Yoga class, book signing and snacks from the book. Free.